The present invention relates to a cartridge and method for making drinks and other fluid comestibles. Particularly, the present invention relates to a cartridge and method that allows a user to make better-tasting beverages in faster, safer and a cleaner manner.
It has been known for centuries to interact flavor-containing or absorbent materials with water to prepare coffee, tea, espresso, milk, cocoa, herb, filtered water, soup and other fluid comestibles. The steeping of roasted coffee grounds under ambient pressure emerged in late 14th century and has been automated with the inventions of stove-top percolator in 1820xe2x80x2s, electric percolator in 1950xe2x80x2s, and automatic drip coffee maker in the 1970s. The steeping of roasted coffee under elevated pressure, resulting in the well-known espresso drinks, emerged with the invention of steam espresso machine in 1910xe2x80x2s and later improved by the inventions of piston espresso machine in 1940xe2x80x2s and pump espresso machine in 1960xe2x80x2s.
Currently, coffee and espresso drinks are mostly made by measuring and filling loose coffee grounds into a filter basket, mounting the basket to the brew head of an espresso machine or coffeemaker, delivering hot water through the grounds either under ambient or high pressure, and receiving the extraction in a cup or a carafe. After enjoying the coffee or espresso, the user must face the tedious tasks of removing the dripping basket, discarding the wet grounds, cleaning the filter basket, the machine, countertop and the carafe, and replacing the filter basket and carafe back into the machine. The above process, although simple, involves too many steps and is too time-consuming for some users, especially when espresso drinks are concerned. In addition, it is messy since most users will splutter the loose coffee grounds when filling the filter basket and drip brown coffee around the kitchen when discarding the wet, used grounds. Furthermore, the quality of the brew, especially espresso, is inconsistent due to many difficult-to-repeat process variables such as ground size, the degree of tamping of the grounds and the amount of grounds.
To make latte, cappuccino, mocha and other milk-containing coffee drinks, the user must heat or froth milk with steam from a steam source such as a steam or pump espresso machine. The heated or frothed milk is then mixed with espresso by pouring milk into espresso or vice versa. To heat or froth milk the user inserts a steam nozzle into the milk in a cup or pitcher, bobs the cup up and down to generate foam, and watches the milk carefully to avoid overheating or overflow. Such milk frothing is intimating to most consumers, which contributes in preventing most people from enjoying latte, cappuccino and mocha at their homes.
To simplify the process of making coffee and espresso, it has been proposed to seal ground coffee in individual air-impermeable packages. For example, coffee pouches, comprising a dose of ground coffee for one or more cups of coffee loosely packed in a paper filter bag and sealed in an air-impermeable film pouch, are available in most hotel rooms having a coffeemaker. To make coffee, the user tears open the film package and place the paper filter bag in the filter basket of the coffeemaker. Such coffee pouch, although relieving the users from measuring and handling loose coffee grounds, requires them to perform much tedious work such as cleaning the filter basket, machine, countertop and carafe, mounting the basket to the machine, and replacing the filter basket and carafe after cleaning back into the coffeemaker.
Such coffee pouch concept has also been applied to espresso. In xe2x80x9cespresso podsxe2x80x9d such as those offered by STARBUCKS Coffee company and illy espresso of the America, the dose of coffee grounds is compactly packed in the paper filter bag and then sealed in an air-impermeable film pouch. To make espresso, the user opens the sealed pouch, places the pod into the holder and places the holder firmly into the brew head before starting the brewing. Such espresso pod removes the variability of tamping the coffee grounds and relieves the user from measuring and handling loose grounds. Like coffee pouch, the espresso pod, however, requires the users to perform much tedious work such as cleaning the holder, machine and countertop, mounting the holder to the machine, and replacing the holder after cleaning back into the machine.
Fond, Lavanchy and Yoakim in U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,316 and Favre in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,719 taught a sealed coffee cartridge that is to be placed into a brewing chamber of a holder. The holder is then mounted in an espresso machine. To make coffee or espresso, the cartridge is pierced by a needle for injection of water into the cartridge and by perforator tips or relief surface elements for the flow of the fluid comestibles from the cartridge. Compared to espresso pods, such sealed cartridges do not need the air-impermeable film pouch to prevent the loss of aroma and retain the freshness of the coffee grounds for prolonged period of time, thus saving the user the step of opening the film pouch. However, like the espresso pods the sealed cartridges also require the much tedious work such as cleaning the holder, machine and countertop, mounting the holder to the machine, and replacing the holder after cleaning back into the machine. In addition, there exists some risk that the user""s fingers get injured by the needle and perforator tips used to pierce the sealed cartridges.
Accordingly, the present invention intends to provide a cartridge and method to relieve the users from the tedious work of cleaning the holder or filter basket, machine and countertop. The present invention also intends to provide a cartridge and method to drastically simplify the process of making drinks and other liquids and reduce the time needed. The present invention further intends to provide a package and method for improving the freshness of the coffee grounds the taste of the drinks.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a new cartridge and method for making fluid comestibles such as cappuccino, latte, mocha, espresso, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup or frothed milk. The cartridge comprises a cartridge inlet for connecting to a mounting head and introducing water under pressure into the cartridge, a chamber connected to said cartridge inlet for containing suitable flavor-containing or particle materials and for allowing the interaction of the materials with water under pressure therein to form the fluid comestibles, a cartridge outlet connected to the chamber for discharging the fluid comestibles, and a handle enabling a user to hold the handle to attach and secure the cartridge inlet to the mounting head. The cartridge may contain one or more types of flavor-containing or particle materials in the chamber to make the desired beverage. In one embodiment, the chamber contains only roasted ground coffee supported on a filter sealed to the bottom of the chamber for making coffee or espresso. In another embodiment, chamber comprises granular or powdered milk supported on a first filter (or a separator) sealed to the bottom of the chamber and roasted ground coffee separated from the granular or powdered milk by a second filter. The first filter (or a separator) has larger openings than the second filter to prevent the gel or gel-like protein materials in the granular or powdered milk from clogging the first filter (or a separator). A freshness promoter is provided to prolong the freshness of the flavor-containing materials in the chamber.
The cartridge inlet, chamber, cartridge outlet may be formed as one single and integral part and adapt a generally spherical or cylindrical shape to increase the cartridge""s resistance to liquid pressure and lower manufacturing cost. In one embodiment, the handle comprises the wall of the chamber, which is sufficiently rigid to prevent deformation or damage. In another embodiment, the handle comprises only part of the wall of the chamber or may be even a separate part attached to or formed on the cartridge body.
The cartridge outlet comprises an opening for issuing the beverage and an arrangement to allow the beverage from the opening to enter a receptacle such as cup or carafe directly without contacting any other parts, thus relieving the user from the tedious work of cleaning the machines used to make beverage as required by all existing cartridge. The opening can be a restrictive opening such as a nozzle or orifice to produce a high-speed fluid jet or stream. In one embodiment, the arrangement allows the high-speed fluid stream or jet from the restrictive opening to collide or interact with a solid surface such as the inner wall of the cartridge outlet, thereby producing foamy head or crema for the fluid comestible. In another embodiment, the arrangement allows the high-speed fluid stream or jet to inject directly into the receptacle such as a cup or carafe. In the process, the high-speed fluid stream or jet carries the surrounding air into the fluid comestibles in the receptacle such as a cup or carafe thereby generating foamy head or crema for the fluid comestibles. In another embodiment, the cartridge outlet further comprises a outlet chamber below the restrictive opening for receiving the high-speed fluid stream or jet and causing the mixing of air with fluid, thereby producing fine air bubbles. In another embodiment, the cartridge outlet further comprises at least one additional restrictive opening. These restrictive openings being so constructed that the resulting high-speed fluid streams or jets will meet or collide in the space inside or outside the cartridge outlet, thereby generating foamy head or crema for the fluid comestibles. The restrictive opening can be normally very small or closed and but can increase in size when the pressure above increases.
To lower the risk of breaking the seal between the cartridge inlet and the mounting head, which may cause personal injury, and to reduce the structural strength on the cartridge inlet, the cartridge inlet is constructed to have a cross-section area significantly smaller than the chamber. The cross-section area of the cartridge inlet can be approximately {fraction (1/200)} to approximately xc2xd, preferably {fraction (1/100)} to xc2xc that for the chamber. A valve can be located in the cartridge inlet to prevent the flavor-containing materials and the pressurized liquid from gushing out of the cartridge inlet in case that a user removes the cartridge from the mounting head when the cartridge is still under pressure. The cartridge inlet may also comprise a safety element to prevent the user from removing the cartridge when the cartridge is still under pressure. A valve may also be located in the cartridge inlet or the cartridge outlet to prevent the dripping of the wet flavor-containing materials or chamber before or during the removal of the used cartridge.
The mounting head for the cartridge inlet comprises a cylindrical chamber, a flow channel connected to a pressurized water source, an extension tube having a smaller diameter near its end and being connected to the flow channel, and two parallel spiral- or helix-shaped ledges or ridges as the lock element to form a bayonet joint with the flange. The cylindrical chamber is dimensioned to receive cylindrical body of the cartridge inlet and to allow the flange of the cartridge inlet to move upwards along the spiral-shaped ledges as one rotates the cartridge. The extension tube is extended a large distance beyond the bottom of the cylindrical chamber of the mounting head to act as a guide for the user to insert the extension tube into the cylindrical opening of the cartridge inlet and to mount the cartridge to the mounting head.
To make the beverage, one simply holds the handle of the cartridge to secure the cartridge inlet to the mounting head, and then causes the liquid to be delivered under pressure through the flavor-containing or particle materials in the chamber and through the cartridge outlet directly into a receptacle such as a cup or carafe for consumption. This is a simple two-step process to make beverages like espresso, latte, cappuccino and mocha, compared to the complex process employed today. In addition, there are no machine, no baskets and no holders to clean after preparing the fluid comestibles, thus relieving the user from the traditional tedious cleaning work after making coffee or espresso.
In another embodiment of the invention, the cartridge comprises a flavor-containing or particle materials, a filter for the flavor-containing or particle materials, a lower body comprising an lower chamber having a generally closed end and a generally open end, a first flange formed at said generally open end, and a cartridge outlet formed at the generally closed end for discharging the beverage, and an upper body comprising an upper chamber having a generally closed end and a generally open end, a second flange formed at said generally open end, and a cartridge inlet formed at the generally closed end. The cartridge inlet have a sealing surface for forming a hermetic seal with a mounting head and a liquid opening located near the center part of the sealing surface for introducing the pressurized liquid from the mounting head into the upper chamber. The upper and lower bodies being sealed together at said first and second flanges to form a chamber to contain the flavor-containing or particle materials. The liquid opening has a sufficiently small size to lower the force exerted by the pressurized liquid to the hermetic seal thereby improving the hermetic seal, whereby, in use, the sealing surface of the cartridge inlet is brought against the mounting head to form the hermetic seal around the liquid opening thereby allowing the pressurized liquid to be introduced into the chamber wherein it interacts with the flavor-containing or particle materials to form the beverage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge and method for making better tasting beverages such as better tasting coffee, espresso, milk, soup, hot chocolate, cappuccino, latte, mocha or tea.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge and method to dramatically simplify the process of making beverages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge and method to relieve the users from the tedious cleaning work after preparing beverages.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge, cartridge connector (or mounting head), and method to reduce the safety risk to the user associated with hot or pressurized liquid.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge that can be manufactured at very low cost.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge that can produce a beverage with a visually appealing layer of crema or foamy head.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a package and method to preserve the freshness and aroma of the flavor-containing materials like roasted coffee beans or grounds.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge and method to make beverage fast thus reducing the waiting time for customers or users.